Reading Tools

Ryanair adds routes and jobs to Manchester

Madrid, Tenerife, Alicante and Faro to start in April

Published on January 26th 2011.

Ryanair have come in from the cold at Manchester Airport to launch a bargain bonanza for summer sunseekers.

Michael O'Leary's controversial low cost airline has announced four new Manchester routes to Alicante, Madrid, Faro and Tenerife - in addition to increasing flights from four to six daily to Dublin, its only existing service from the airport.

In the summer 2011 schedule, beginning on April 14, passengers flying to Alicante and Faro can expect to pay £29.99 one way, compared, they say, with around £39.99 with arch rivals easyJet and Jet2. Madrid and Tenerife will be a tenner dearer. Ryanair claims the new routes will deliver passenger savings of £6m this year.

The direct Madrid flights are a particular coup and are expected to be the major success among the five routes, expected to deliver new passengers and sustain 600 jobs in Manchester.

Tickets on the four new sun routes go on sale on www.ryanair.com on Thursday, January 27. Simultaneously Ryanair is releasing one million £7 seats for travel across 500 European routes in February. These seats must be booked online before midnight on Monday, January 31.

Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, said the new routes would increase the number of passengers the airline flew from Manchester from 200,000 to 600,000.

“This will mean growth for Ryanair and Manchester Airport,” he said. “We want Manchester Airport to tell us what routes they want to grow and we’ll look at helping them. We want to target the Western Mediterranean.”

Andrew Harrison, chief executive of Manchester Airport, said the timing of the deal was right on both sides.

“The airport and Ryanair had a fairly public spat 18 months ago but we’ve always had a positive relationship through our Dublin route,” he said. “The airport has had four or five years of consecutive growth, Ryanair are looking at growth too, so the time is right.

“It gives passengers a choice – people have brand loyalties and we needed Ryanair in that mix. We don’t want passengers to be forced to go to Leeds and Liverpool because they can’t fly out of Manchester.”

Harrison is hoping the Ryanair routes will forced Liverpool airport to look over its shoulder as Manchester Airport tries to increase the mix of short and long haul routes, as well as increase the frequency of its afternoon traffic, traditionally a quit period.

“We’re talking to all airlines about plugging the gaps that remain,” he said. “We want to be able to offer a big choice.

“Ryanair are taking the off-peak slots, after 1pm. We’ve managed to find a solution that works for both sides.

“Long haul is important, so are transatlantic routes. We’ve not had Madrid for a while, so that’s a big win and increases the way we connect to Europe.”

Like what you see? Enter your email to sign up for our newsletters which are chock-a-block with more great reviews, news, deals and savings.